Shafaqna English- Commentary on the 2nd Chapter of the Holy Quran by Mohammad Sobhanie.
أُولَـٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوُا الضَّلَالَةَ بِالْهُدَىٰ فَمَا رَبِحَت تِّجَارَتُهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا مُهْتَدِينَ﴿١٦﴾
2:16 They (hypocrites) have traded guidance for error. Their commerce has not profited them, and they are not guided.
Trading Guidance for Error
Commentary: The Qur’an views man as an entrepreneur who should invest his precious time and resources to secure the wellbeing of his eternal life. However, depending on how people invest and trade, they either have lucrative profits or detrimental losses.
Those who invest their time and resources to pursue divine rewards will reside in the gardens of perpetual bliss. The Qur’an views these people as lucrative businessmen who have traded their earthly life for eternal bliss. Conversely, those who pursue their carnal lusts and desires yield detrimental losses in the Hereafter. These individuals trade their precious time and resources in a harmful way and end up with severe loss in the Hereafter.
During the Prophet’s (PBUH) era, the people had unique opportunities to become devout companions of the Prophet (PBUH) and help him promote Islam. The righteous people took advantage of this opportunity and supported the Prophet with their life and wealth and were promised the reward of eternal life in Paradise[1].
In contrast, disbelievers and hypocrites deliberately rejected the divine guidance and chose error instead (أُولَـٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوُا الضَّلَالَةَ بِالْهُدَىٰ). They invested their time and resources in battling the Prophet (PBUH). Contrary to their objectives, the religion of God prevailed[2], and the hypocrites not only failed to achieve their goals but also sabotaged their eternal lives (فَمَا رَبِحَت تِّجَارَتُهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا مُهْتَدِينَ).
The World in the View of Nahjul Balaghah, Aphorism # 133:
Imam Ali (AS) said: “This world is a place for transit, not a place to stay. The people herein are of two categories. One is the man who sold away his self (to his passions) and thus ruined it, and the other is the man who purchased his self (by control against his desires) and freed”:
وَ قَالَ عليه السلام: الدُّنْيَا دَارُ مَمَرٍّ لَا دَارُ مَقَرٍّ وَ النَّاسُ فِيهَا رَجُلَانِ رَجُلٌ بَاعَ فِيهَا نَفْسَهُ فَأَوْبَقَهَا وَ رَجُلٌ ابْتَاعَ نَفْسَهُ فَأَعْتَقَهَا
Imam Ali (AS) stated that in this world, devoted servants of Allah (SWT) earn the Divine Mercy and the gardens of eternal bliss. Disbelievers and hypocrites earn Allah’s (SWT) Wrath and the fire of Hell with their evil deeds.
Word-for-Word Translation:
2:16 [أُولَـٰئِكَ] Those [الَّذِينَ] are the one who [اشْتَرَوُا] bought [الضَّلَالَةَ] the astraying [بِالْهُدَىٰ] for the guidance. [فَمَا] So not [رَبِحَت] profited [تِّجَارَتُهُمْ] their commerce [وَمَا] and not [كَانُوا] were they [مُهْتَدِينَ] guided ones.
Notes:
[1]. At-Tawbah 9-111, As-Saff 61:10-13.
[2]. At-Tawbah 9:32.
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Commentary on the Holy Quran (2:17-20)